Eugene weekly., May 17, 2012, Page 26, Image 26

MAY 18 • 8:30 PM
music
TIckets $ 5
*@;;C<"8JK<IE
!8E:<$L@C;
F=
F
= >
featuring
L America Solidarity Committee
Latin
FUNDRAISER
_^Zmnkbg`
$
$
Mars Water
Sol Riot
Via Me
MAY24 • 8:00 PM
MAY 1
9 • 8:00 PM
3− 6 Donation
$ 14 ADV/ $ 18 DOS (buy online)
B H G
BHG
ZYDECO
TROUBLE
It’s unclear what Infantree used to record its music, but it sounds like an eight-track
with a one-track mind. Confused? Yeah, I was too until I realized that making comparisons
to other bands is more than doable but inherently pointless, because Infantree stands
alone as a freak-pop group that totally rules.
Hailing from California’s San Fernando Valley, Infantree is comprised of four dudes who
exhibit influences ranging from pop to doo-wop, while making certain they hit everything
in between. In a short period of time, the group has garnered a great deal of attention — I
know if I’d made appearances on multiple television and radio spots, including Conan and
Bamm.tv, I’d be fucking stoked. In fact, the deeper you look into Infantree the more
apparent it becomes that the band is headed for big things. Most indie outfits would have
difficulty being noticed even if they played loudly in the middle of a library — Infantree
might just be the little indie group that could.
The band’s only full-length, an LP called Wouldwork, is nothing short of awesome. It
swings hard while simultaneously rocking your face and lacing indie-galore undertones into
the cracks. And, when these guys hit the stage, they rock just as hard. As Conan O’Brien
put it when they visited his show: “That was great. Hey, that was amazing.”
Infantree and Tumbleweed Wanderers play 9 pm Wednesday, May 23, at Sam Bond’s;
$1-$5 door. — Andy Valentine
Sound of a
REVolution
JASPER FREEDOM BAND
MOLLY GAURDINO
FREE
JUNE 1 • 6:00 PM
w i t h g guests
with
u e s t s LEMOLO
$
$
SHOWCASE
Valley Boys Go Big
NINTH MOON BLACK
MAY2
5 • 9:00 PM
10 ADV/ 12 DOS (buy online)
s SEATTLE s
INFANTREE
Rhnma:\mbhg<hng\be
IeZgg^]IZk^gmahh]h_LPHk^`hg
Interactive family fun
)'"1
0,'4*
! E EVERY
V E R YWEDS
WEDS • 5
5PM
PM • FREE
& iLEE ERICKSON
M
KGA
Feeling Lucky?
E EVERYWEDS
EVERY WEDS • 7
7PM
PM • FREE
8th & Charnelton 541−338−9333 CozmicPresents.com
26 MAY 17, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
Metal and Moonscapes
The first time I went to a Ninth Moon Black concert it was 2009 and some crusty
trainhopper-type tried to fight me for my sneakers. He was the doorman, and when I got
past him into the raging house party, I found a legion of fans shoulder-to-shoulder in a dark
basement, completely entranced by the gradual escalation of a dynamic and refined sound.
“We play post-rock psychedelic metal,” says drummer Kasey Marcusky. “It is sort of
introspective.”
Though the idea of introspective metal music sounds oxymoronic, this is in fact what
Ninth Moon Black has achieved. Founded in 2000, the band is a powerful mix of dark
aesthetics, guitar thrashing and audio hypnosis. Not the type of hypnosis you’d encounter
at a whomped-out dubstep show; it’s more like the internal soundtrack of a slow-motion car
crash — in a good way. No one gets hurt, but time is slowed down and thoughts become
amplified.
Aside from the novelty of Marcusky, who is distinctively alone in her role as a female
drummer in Eugene’s almost entirely male-dominated metal scene, Ninth Moon Black is
well-known for its visual accompaniaments. The band often projects silent films or cut-ups
of cult classics behind them as they play — creepy and meditative films, like E. Elias
Merhige’s Begotten.
The next phase of Ninth Moon is about to show itself, as the group prepares to release
its third album, Chronophage. “The title and concept of the album was inspired by John C.
Taylor’s Corpus Clock and the Buddhist notion of Samsura,” says Marcusky. The band is also
going to project cut-up scenes from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis at this upcoming gig.
Ninth Moon Black’s album release show is 8 pm Saturday, May 19, at WOW Hall; $5.
— Dante Zuñiga-West
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM